/// Specialist technical & executive search

Cardiff 51.47°N −3.17°W
Est. 2026

Semiconductor
AI hardware
Deep-tech search

Helping the most technically demanding companies hire the engineers they can’t find through conventional means.

The full silicon journey: design through to volume manufacturing.

Get in touch →
[ 01 / About Us ]

Recruiting excellence,
shaped by experience.

Tacit Search is a specialist technical and executive search firm serving the semiconductor, AI hardware and deep-tech sectors.

Backed by over two decades of sector experience and established networks, we identify and secure technical and executive capability that strengthens organisations, delivers competitive advantage and enables innovation.

Headquartered in Cardiff, our mission is to help organisations solve their most complex hiring challenges by connecting them with specialised engineering talent that traditional methods often miss.

The name reflects our founding principle: tacit knowledge. The kind that cannot be replicated quickly is what defines the difference between a recruitment partner who understands this market and one who simply operates in it. Twenty years of immersion in this field has produced the networks, technical understanding and sector insight that our clients rely on.

We focus on the hires that matter most: roles that are hardest to fill, highest in consequence and where the margin between the right appointment and the wrong one is measured in programme months, product milestones and competitive position.

Our clients range from well-funded start-ups scaling towards first silicon and initial product delivery, to established technology companies hiring for their most critical and niche technical programmes. What they share is a common challenge: the roles most important to their roadmap are the hardest to fill through conventional means.

That is precisely the problem Tacit Search was built to solve.

[ 02 / Core Values ]

Core values.

V1Precision

Deliberate, exacting search informed by deep understanding.

V2Credibility

Trust built through expertise, consistency and results.

V3Discretion

Professional integrity in every interaction.

[ 03 / Our Capabilities ]

Chip Design Manufacturing

Tacit Search covers the full journey: design through to manufacturing. Disciplines we recruit every day include:

Chip Design

08 Disciplines
ASIC / SoC Design / Microarchitecture
Analog / Mixed-Signal IC Design
Photonic / Optical IC Design
RTL Design / FPGA Design / Firmware
Verification (UVM / Formal) / DFT
Embedded Software / Linux Kernel / Device Drivers
AI/ML Systems / NPU / Edge Inference
Hardware/Software Integration / Functional Safety

Semiconductor Manufacturing

08 Disciplines
NPI (New Product Introduction)
Characterisation
Product Test
Yield Analysis
Reliability
Product Quality
Product Engineering
Project / Program Management
[ 04 / Our Services ]

Targeted search and delivery across
technical and executive capability.

We deliver tailored search solutions across permanent, contract and retained mandates, supporting organisations where capability, timing and precision are critical. Our approach is adapted to the complexity and strategic importance of each requirement, ensuring access to the right individuals at the right time.

S1

Executive Retained Search

Targeted, research-led search for senior leadership and C-suite appointments where technical depth and strategic capability must be assessed rigorously. We engage the highest levels of the engineering & technology community with discretion and genuine sector understanding.

S2

Retained Search

An exclusive, partnership-driven model where we dedicate project teams, deep research, proactive headhunting, and a structured process to find rare or executive tech talent.

S3

Permanent Contingent Recruitment

Targeted identification and placement of long-term technical and leadership capability aligned to long term projects, culture and strategic direction.

S4

Contract & Interim Solutions

Provision of flexible talent solutions providing experienced and technical professionals and consultants to support programme delivery, project execution and time-critical capability requirements.

[ 05 / Location & Reach ]

Local network,
Global reach.

Our reach is UK-wide and increasingly global, but our edge comes from where we’re rooted. Tacit Search sits inside the cluster rather than near it: headquartered in Cardiff, embedded in South Wales’ semiconductor manufacturing base, with a direct network across Bristol and the South West’s AI hardware and chip design community, and relationships that extend across the UK’s other major hubs and into international markets.

BaseCardiff, South Wales
ClusterBristol & South West
ReachUK & International
[ 06 / Get in Touch ]

Let’s talk.

Recruiting excellence, shaped by experience.

All enquiries are handled in confidence.

Tramshed Tech · Unit D, Pendyris Street · Cardiff CF11 6BH